Why does ambien make you hungry

Clinical and polysomnographic features of sleep-related eating disorder. J Clin Psychiatry. Sleep-related eating disorders: polysomnographic correlates of a heterogeneous syndrome distinct from daytime eating disorders. Study links Ambien use to unconscious food forays. NY Times. March 24, Accessed on October 21, Handbook of Psychiatric Drugs Amnestic sleep-related eating disorder associated with zolpidem.

Sleep Med. NREM sleep parasomnias. Neurol Clin. Zolpidem and amnestic sleep related eating disorder. J Clin Sleep Med. I have experienced night binging using. I will be definitely changing my sleep-aid very soon! The other night I got out of bed and went to the garage, got into my car and turned the ignition on. Apparently, I turned on the radio and left it playing after I changed the station. Sanofi-Aventis, the French company that makes the drug, has defended its safety in 13 years of use in the United States.

She said the package insert for Ambien warns that a sleep-related eating disorder may occur, but she cautioned that every case reported in patients taking Ambien might not be caused by the drug.

Most of the people who use Ambien say the drug puts them to sleep and that they wake up without incident. But several doctors and a number of patients say that sleep-eating is one of a variety of unusual reactions to the drug. For one, they aren't snacking. They are devouring huge portions of high-calorie food, such as jars of peanut butter, bars of candy and entire loaves of bread. Even worse, people don't remember eating when they wake up, so the behavior can persist for a long time, potentially leading to excessive weight gain, hypertension and Type II diabetes.

Sleep eaters also are in danger of eating something toxic while they unconsciously shovel food into their mouths, not to mention the risks of firing up the stove or wielding a kitchen knife while asleep. Bedtime binging can happen without Ambien, too. At least 1 percent of the population likely experiences a sleep-related eating disorder SRED [source: Schenck ], not all of whom take Ambien. This problem existed long before the pill came on the market in Research on people with SRED who did not take medication found related histories of sleepwalking, restless leg syndrome and other eating disorders, such as bulimia.

However, researchers have highlighted zolpidem as a potential stimulus for SRED in a small population of users. Zolpidem stimulates the GABA-one neurotransmitter , or chemical messenger, in the brain. This neurotransmitter directs certain cells to turn your brain off so you can sleep.

For some people, in addition to flipping off their sleep switch, zolpidem turns on our natural urge to eat. In studies when doctors switched people who had trouble with sleep eating to another pill, the SRED went away. Consequently, the U. Food and Drug Administration required all sleeping pill providers to add stronger warnings about the risks of sleep activity on their labels in Nevertheless, doctors still prescribe Ambien because, aside from the possible side effects, it makes people fall asleep [source: Silber ].

If you are taking Ambien or another sleeping pill, doctors urge you to take it as prescribed. Don't mix it with any other depressants, such as alcohol or over-the-counter sleeping pills. Mixing the two can up your chances of walking or eating in your sleep. Take Ambien only when you're home and ready to fall asleep to avoid nodding off behind the wheel, at the sink or in the shower.

As for warding off sleep eating after taking Ambien, if you wake up with salt and bread crumbs in your sheets and buttered cigarette butts by your side, you should probably see a doctor. Eating isn't the only strange activity associated with Ambien. People have reported walking, talking, shopping and even driving while asleep. As you might guess, sleep driving has become a particular problem because of traffic accidents.

According to one study, Ambien users are more than twice as likely as nonusers to have a car crash [source: Fox ]. Sign up for our Newsletter!

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